Love is Blind and Lovers Cannot See

This was coined by Shakespeare and was quite a favorite line of his. It appears in several of his plays, including Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry V and The Merchant Of Venice; for example, this piece from The Merchant Of Venice, 1596:

JESSICA: Here, catch this casket; it is worth the pains. I am glad ’tis night, you do not look on me, For I am much ashamed of my exchange: But love is blind and lovers cannot see The pretty follies that themselves commit; For if they could, Cupid himself would blush To see me thus transformed to a boy.

Modern-­‐day research supports the view that the blindness of love is not just a figurative matter. A research study in 2004 by University College London found that feelings of love suppressed the activity of the areas of the brain that control critical thought. 

God views the whole picture and still loves
a. Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love

toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

2. 1 Timothy 1:15 – This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
3. 1 John 3:1 – Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
4. Matthew 9:13 – But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. 

    

Man views only spots on the picture and chooses to love or withhold love

1. 1 Samuel 16:7 – But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
2. 1 John 2:15 – Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
3. 1 John 3: 10-­‐11 – “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another… 

    

We need to spend enough time with our God that we can see the whole picture like He does

a. Serve
Matthew 20:28 – …just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

b. Give
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

c. Love
John 15:12 – This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

d. Forgive
Matthew 6:14 – For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.